UNIVERSAL/MOTOWN GIVES A LITTLE MORE WITH THIS RELEASE
mejoshsim@aol.com | USA | 12/29/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Maybe Motown is finally listening to the fans? Diana Ross and The Supremes "You Keep Me Hangin' On" isnt your typical Motown compilation release. It actually contains 20 tracks 9 of which are Number 1 mega hits but the real story is the other 11 tracks.. Why (Must We Fall In Love), Honey Bee (Keep On Stinging Me), The Young Folks, You Send Me, Keep An Eye, Whisper You Love Me Boy, if you were not smart enough in the late 80's to buy all the original albums on CD this package gives you a little taste of what you missed..We need a lot more releases like this to keep the ladies legend alive throughout the new millenium.David B"
THE GOLDEN ERA OF MOTOWN
ianphillips@uk.dreamcast.com | BOLTON, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND | 06/03/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"an excellent compilation that for once gives a much welcome airing to lesser known tracks, plucked from the countless studio albums they cut throughout their triumphantly succesful career. Diana Ross sounds at her most supreme on these tracks. She sings each and every one of them with such warmth, passion and feeling. Her vocals are energetically soulful and it shines through these tracks like sunshine. The compilation opens with their first milestone in the history of music - Where Did Our Love Go (WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO - 1964) which became their first in a succession of five No.1 hits back to back. This is where The Supremes legacy began. There is still something so undeniably infectious about those simplistic lyrics and repetitive rythms. Baby love was, as every one knows, ground breaking for The Supremes. The track raced to No.1 on both sides of the Atlantic. Although Diana Ross and the Supremes went on to record far superior tracks, this will possibly be the song that everyone will remember them by and also possibly Stop! In The Name Of Love, which is now something of a karoke essential! Diana's vocals are sounding stronger on the totally unforgetable, You Can't Hurry Love whilst Reflections, sees The Supremes steering briefly into the psychedlic scene with its bizarre, synchronised sounds. This was actually very adventurous and experimental for The Supremes and this really stands apart from a lot of the other tracks. Diana's vocals especially on Reflections really shines out, sounding more self assured and mature compared to their early numbers. Love Child, was their first really notable recording that explored social issues and some critics say this could possibly be Diana Ross' very best recording. It certainly was grittier material for Diana to really bite into - and she does just that and sounds stunning! Their touching swan song, Some day We'll Be Together marked the end of a golden era as Diana Ross left the group for a solo career. It's a truly touching and magnificent recording and this along with Reflections and Love Child is possibly The Supremes very best recording. You Keep Me Hanging On, is quite a remarkable recording in that this was the first clear sign of the girls maturing and developing their style. Diana's vocals turn into a near-aggressive howl at the climax of the song as she sings "Go On/get out, get out of my life, and let me sleep tonight". The fun, swinging and bouncy, The Happening, and the fabulous, I Hear A Symphony are the other two classic No.1 hits to get an airing but some other lesser succesful hits are included on here such as No Matter What Sign You Are, the excellent Forever Came Today, the mediocre, The Young Folks and the fantastic, Some Things You Will Never Get Used To. The surprises of the compilation comes in the inclusion of such wonderful tracks like Honey Bee Keep On Stinging Me - which was worthy of a release as a single - their slow, sultry version of You Send Me, their gorgeous ballard with The Temptations on Why Must We Fall In Love and another ballard, the girly, Whisper You Love Me Boy. Only let down on here is their lacklustre version of Keep An Eye. It's not that it's neccecarily a bad recording but it pales so much in comparison to the excellent version that Diana did for her solo debut, Diana Ross (1970). Still it's a worthy compilation despite missing out My World Is Empty Without You and the sassy, sexually charged Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart. The compilation would have been complete then but it still comes highly recommended."
Perhaps the best Supremes CD
Peter Durward Harris | 12/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The selection and sound quality on this CD are outstanding. Clean, original stereo mixes. Better than most, if not all, of the more recent compilations involving the Supremes."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1